KVIC Chairman distributes electric potter wheels as part of Gramodyog Vikas Yojana

Hyderabad: In a significant step towards empowering rural artisans and furthering the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), organised a distribution programme and awareness camp in Muchintal village, Shamshabad Mandal, Ranga Reddy district on Tuesday.

During the event, KVIC chairman Manoj Kumar distributed electric potter wheels and training certificates to 300 potters. Addressing the beneficiaries, Manoj Kumar emphasised that rural artisans are increasingly becoming an integral part of Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat campaign, driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership.

He highlighted the success of KVIC’s Gramodyog Vikas Yojana in Telangana, stating that in the last three years, KVIC has trained 1,240 artisans and distributed 2,084 toolkits in various sectors, including leaf plate making, tamarind processing, honey mission, footwear manufacturing, turnwood and wastewood crafts, electrician and plumber services, and electric potter wheels. These efforts have significantly enhanced employment opportunities and income levels for rural youth, women, and artisans across the state.

He also underlined the role of the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in generating employment. Under this scheme, KVIC Telangana has established 17,622 new units, providing employment to 160,178 individuals. Since the formation of Telangana, KVIC has disbursed Rs 639.97 crore as a Margin Money subsidy, contributing to the state's economic development.

Passionately speaking about Khadi's enduring legacy and importance, describing it as the "soul of Atmanirbhar Bharat" and the "foundation of rural India’s economy", he pointed out that Khadi has seen unprecedented growth. Sales of Khadi and Village Industries products, which stood at Rs 31,154.20 crore during the financial year 2013-14, have surged fivefold to Rs 1,55,673.12 crore in the financial year 2023-24. This remarkable achievement marks the first time in independent India’s history that the turnover of Khadi and Village Industries has crossed the Rs 1.55 lakh crore mark, creating over 10.17 lakh new jobs, he said.

The event saw enthusiastic participation from local artisans, citizens, officials from KVIC and the state government.